Because He Said So

I have been on a pretty crazy journey over the last 18 months or so (at least for me--maybe it will seem pretty tame to everyone else ;-) It started in the fall of 2008. By then, Jared and I had been praying for over 8 years that God would provide a way for me to be home with our girls. It was a long journey during which I will admit I became very impatient MANY times, but as usual God knew exactly what He was doing through it all. But that is a story for another time perhaps. For now, let's talk about what brought us to Vermont.

In the fall of 2008, Jared happened upon a link advertising a pastor position at Middletown Springs Community Church in Middletown Springs, VT. Ummmm. . . . Vermont?
Seriously? When he told me about it, the conversation went something like this--

Jared: I found a job posting for a pastor in Vermont that sounds like it might be a good fit.
Becky: Vermont?
Jared: Yeah.
Becky: Ummm. . . Well, yeah, the interview process will be good experience.
Jared: So you don't want to move to Vermont?
Becky: Let's see. We're in Nashville. All of our family is in Texas. I'm gonna have to say no.
Jared: So should I not pursue it?
Becky: You can send a resume. But if God wants me to move to Vermont, I'm pretty sure He's gonna have to put skin on and come tell me that in person.

Wow. I'm not proud of that exchange, but in the moment, it just didn't make any sense to me. At all. But God got ahold of me, and I'm so glad He did! Jared did go ahead and send his resume, so we continued to talk about it a little bit over time. I was trying to "warm up" to the idea, but I really just couldn't make it make any sense. Why would God want to move us an additional 20 hours away from all of our family? We were already a full day's drive away. What good could possibly come from taking our kids even further away from ALL of their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins? How could this be right?

Well, here is about as profound as I get-- It's right, Because He (God) Said So. And when that reality hit me, it jarred me in a way that I have never experienced before. I was driving to work one morning and had to pull over because I was weeping to the point of not being able to see clearly. God changed my heart so profoundly and so completely that I was ready to move before Jared even had a formal interview. Awesome. (Glad they saw fit to offer him the job.)

The journey has continued on with all sorts of twists and turns, peaks and valleys, confusing moments and points of complete clarity. Many people have questioned why in the world we would come to Vermont. Jared has been told that it will kill his career and all sorts of interesting other thoughts. He doesn't care about that, and neither do I. Not in the least. Because the main truth hasn't changed. We're here because God sent us here. We came because He told us to. He has gone before us in the most incredible way, and there is nowhere else we would rather be than right where God wants us. And my prayer is that this will be the ongoing theme of my life. I want the answer to every question that matters to be just this: "Because He Said So." Prayers appreciated in that pursuit.